Trophy Night in Eriksdale

We have 30 members in our little club with 9 entries in the Head competition. I did not have an entry this year but I did win it last year. The bucks are way bigger this year over all. 5 scored over 150 and the winner scored 165. Nice to see. Everyone is practicing trophy management and it is starting to show. No more small bucks being taken.

A nice Elk taken in our area with a bow by an old friend Jodie.

My Brother Jamie with his buck.

The only non-typical entry.



Tis was the winner. He scored 154 typical. Nice deer.

My office on Lake Manitoba

This is my brother Jamie as we are just getting started for the day, temperature was minus 25 Celsius. No wind so it was quite warm out there. I will take some pictures and video on the Stormy days for you to see what it is like out there when Mother Nature decides to blow.
The first Walleye of the day. Prices for fish are not great right now but this is a 3 or 4 dollar fish. In the store it would be worth 10 or 12 dollars. Fishing is similar to the beef industry in that someone in the middle is making a lot of money.

This is a Walleye and a Sucker when we take it out of the net....
and this is how we send it to market. We haul the fish to town and they are packed in a ice/water mixture called a Slurry and are shipped to Winnipeg every other day and distributed from there all over the world.

My uncle Jack stopped by the other day and helped us for awhile. Here is a nice 27 inch Walleye. If you buy Walleye in the store, check the thickness of the flakes of meat. I think they take these fish and make more than one fillet out of them and slice them in half to sell as a smaller fish.
Looking west across the lake. Beautiful day, no hat when you are out of the wind. Freeze your ears when you go out in the wind.lol

Until next time.....

Deer season is over. Commercial fishing starts on Lake Manitoba.

Winter took a while to get to us, as it did in all of Canada and the Northern U.S. but it came hard and fast. Two weeks ago there was no ice around, but all of a sudden it was Minus 20 Celsius every day and snowing. It has snowed over a foot so far. We have made over a foot of ice in two weeks. This is unusually fast but it is not rough so it is nice to travel on. I am Commercial fishing for Walleyes on Lake Manitoba now and will be getting some pictures on here soon about that. Keep an eye on the Youtube for some Commercial fishing videos as well for two different Walleye Filleting styles of my brother and myself. I will put the links up on here when I get them done.

Whitetail season is over and I did not see a big enough buck that I wanted to shoot. Passed up 3 or 4 nice ones in the 120-130 class but was waiting for THE ONE. I did take a doe late in the season for some meat but had a great season being out in the bush. The weather was fairly warm and you could sit in your stand a long time before you got cold. The bigger bucks started moving fairly late here and are still going after the season is all done. I don't mind, spread those genes boys,LOL. Good for the herd. There was some pretty big deer shot around my local area this fall with my brother having a good one taken a half mile from the farm where I grew up. We have a small group of guys who get together and show off their heads in a couple of weeks so I will have my trusty camera to take a few pics of some Interlake Bucks.

Now I have to wait another year to have this view again. Pulled my last stand on Sunday. It was -30 celsius on the morning of the last day. BRRR! I sat for only 45 minutes before I pulled the plug.

Here is my brother Jamie's Buck. 22 inch spread with 22 in main beams. Scored 151. Very nice deer.

Hockey
Hockey season is well under way up here and even the rinks with Natural ice are up an running. I am playing senior hockey still and loving it. This is regular hockey with hitting, fights, and the works. Sometimes it can be a gong show out there. It can get pretty crazy since the towns around here have been rivals forever in every sport. But our true passion is hockey and we take it very seriously. Well seriously enough that we do not like to lose.

I am also coaching two teams. I coach my youngest daughter Maija on a mixed boys and girls team and coach both Taina and Maija on an all girls PeeWee team who plays against boys teams all season but enter Provincials in the girls Division. That is a little different coaching an all girls team, a first for me. They are both winning this season which is nice to see as the girls had never won a game in their previous 4 years. I have a bunch of girls who have played hockey all their lives and it shows.

I played in Fisher River this past weekend and scored two goals in a 8 to 5 losing affair. It was 6 to 5 until late in the game.

Our problem as you can see from the picture below, is we only had 6 skaters!
We had 2 defenceman and 4 forwards. All the guys on my team work and it just happened that most guys were away up north of out west this weekend. I played at least 55 minutes of hockey on Sunday which is way too much when you are getting hit, hooked, and making hits. Can't fight when you have six skaters, although some idiot on the other team tried to goad one of our guys into a fight. One of our defenceman Jamie, who went to Green Bay with me never came off the ice for 60 minutes of hockey!!!! His brother Gordie who I played my minor hockey with was the other defenceman but he had 4 penalties so he had a rest a few times. We were down 4 to 0 after the first but it was 4 to 2 after the second and in the third we tied it up at one point but slowly ran out of gas. We did hit 2 goal posts in the las 5 minutes though, we could have won if the bounces went our way. Later in the season we would have been able to pull it out.

Packers 34 Vikings 0

I was fortunate enough this past weekend to acquire 4 tickets to the Packers and Vikings. IT WAS AWESOME!!! It is deer season here, and I am pretty busy hunting but will elaborate soon Hear are a few pics.

The Otter

The Otter is out of the water for the winter. I took it to Sioux Lookout yesterday and put her to bed for awhile. That is where our Maintenance is done during the winter. She is quite a sight when it comes out of the water. I plan on putting a video on Youtube this week showing the whole process. Also I am putting another one on there showing some of the sights from this past fall. Keep an eye out for those. There is a link on the side bar of this blog to my videos. Just a reminder to everyone that if you have any videos or pictures, please send them along, we appreciate them and will put them up on our site for you to see.

We are almost ready to head back to Manitoba soon. Our girls went home this past weekend and have started hockey already. Almost time to start draining water and closing the last buildings. I have serviced the motors and have been planning ahead to the spring for purchases and improvements to the camps. Watch for our newsletter coming by email in Mid-November, as we will letting you know of all the purchases we plan for next season for your convenience. You can sign up on our website if you have not recieved our e-newsletter before.

The next time I write I hope to be back in Manitoba hunting whitetails, coaching and playing hockey.

No More People but Lots to do.

Another season has passed and we are done once again. Overall we had a great season and would like to thank everyone who joined us for a memorable trip this summer. We will be sending a end of season newsletter next month so a reminder that if we do not have yur email address you can sign up on our website. canadianflyinfishing.com

Closing camps was pretty uneventful. Had some good and bad weather but quite a bit of rain. In fact it is still raining today. It is better to have high water come fall anyways and then you have a good balance in the spring as the water drains away over the winter. As long as we don't get more snow than normal. Mother nature is in charge of that I am afraid. I had good help for the camp closing and got alot of extra work done at the camps as well. This helps big time next spring when we open up. If the weather plays along we can get even more done.

Rena and I are still pretty busy with things around the base for another couple of weeks but are getting ready to head back to Manitoba soon. Hockey and Deer season both start when we get back so the next pictures will be from the Rink or hopefully of a Big Buck.

I am servicing all of the motors now and going through all of my lists to ensure we are ready for spring and next season. We will be replacing grills, stoves, boat ramps etc. at the some of the camps in the spring where needed.

I have not taken the Otter out of the water yet but plan on taking pictures and video so that everyone can see how big that old girl actually is. It is quite a sight when on dry land. Keep an eye out for that.

Here is the New outhouse at the Cobham River. The view is Magnificant.
We have had a ton of rain lately and actually almost saw the Sun after getting to Findlay to shut it down.
The next morning we saw Fog. But eventually did see the sun and had perfect weather for our last day in the North.
Quite a broad collection of magazines left after the summer is over.
The Mighty Moose. Still haunting me.

The results are in!

Well, I was hoping to be able to write a fantastic tale of love crazed moose trying to attack us, looking for a fight, trying to meet some lady moose. I have to say we had a great time and hunted many, many hours. Much of it done in rain and mist, and Wind. Dick, Dave, Chris, and a fisherman R.P. were my companions on Blackbirch Lake this week. This is the second time they have hunted with us and Chris was successful in taking a big Bull last time, 2 years ago. A thrilling event. A great bunch of guys. Chris made a comment to me during the hunt that he is not sure why he comes up here, for the company or the moose. I am sad to say this year he came for the company. No Moose were taken during this week of hunting on Blackbirch Lake. I am more upset than the Boys are. Here is how the week went down.

When we left the base in Red Lake it was nice and partly sunny. As we got further north there was more cloud and the ceiling was starting to come down with some light rain. But I could see ahead that life was going to get a little more interesting. A nice line of low CRAP. The last few miles into the camp the weather was getting darn right nasty but flyable. Typical weather for moose season some years.... This was one of those years. It rained every day. I have no problem with rain but it makes life hunting moose a lot harder. They are not usually to active in the rain.

The first day was fairly promising as we had a 2 cows answer us and the rain was not to bad either until late in the day when it rained hard and we were forced in. I have never shot any moose in weather like that.

The second day was active as well. Daisy was on the Beaver Pond and had all kind of activity. He had a bull answer but did not want to come out to the call. He also saw two bears. One huge black bear across the lake which is kind of cool at a distance. The other one was a little closer to his hunting spot. Just down the shore on the same side about 150 yards down. A smaller bear, maybe 200 pounds. Daisy is not a small man, as you can see from his pictures below. He said the bear came and left but did not come any closer or even notice him. I think the bear probably took one look at him and decided that he might loose.LOL

The third day was about to get exciting and creepy all at the same time for one of the boys. I know Chris is popular but little did we know he had a stalker at Blackbirch Lake. He was sitting on the Beaver Pond where Daisy was yesterday and as he was calling the Huge bear from yesterday came back across the lake. He was down a ways so Chris did not worry to much. This was about 9:30 when he first saw him. Chris continued to make moose calls from time to time and a little while later saw the bugger again right across the pond!!! It is a good 400 yards across the lake but the bear knew exactly where Chris was. He said when he would walk down the lake to pee in the water the bear would get up and walk down with him. He was being mimicked. Then when he was walking back so would the bear and lay down in the same spot on the smooth rock on the other shore. I came in to see Chris at 2 o'clock and the bear was laying there sleeping in the wide open lifting his head to make sure Chris was still there and did not even flinch when I showed up. It was a Very Big Bear. I made a few more moose calls and the bear would just lift his head and look at us. Bears like moose and he could hear the cow calls and was looking for the calf if Momma was out on a date, if you know what I mean. The calf would be all alone. I moved Chris to a new spot and the bear was still there when we left. He was pretty freaked and excited at the same time.

R.P. had very good fishing. One afternoon he had 43 fish from 2:30 until 5 o'clock and lost 19. He only kept track that one afternoon but was plenty happy with the fishing since this was his first outpost trip. With all the rain he made sure the fire did not go out anyways. On the last day he had a Huge Northern attack!! I got a little video of the story so keep an eye on my youtube but only caught the end of the story. A 40 plus incher came and hit the walleye, happens up here quite often but this one was different. The Northern hit it and then let it go. The walleye came fast towards the boat and then jumped up out of the water, while still being on his hook. As the walleye came down from the air and just hit the water again, the Northern was there and the walleye was gone. In a Flash!! R.P. had never had this before but was patient and did the right thing. Opened the bail and sat there for 10 minutes. Hoping to land a MONSTER. After he waited what felt like an eternity he followed the line until he thought he was right over the Big One. A strong set of the hook and he was still there. He fought with the Northern for 20 minutes, getting him close to the boat but not close enough. Finally the Northern gave up the Walleye. He never did get a real good look at the fish but reported he was BIG. Of course there was nothing left of the Walleye. A 14 inch fish. R.P. said that there were only a couple of inches sticking out of either side of the Alligators mouth. That tells me that fish must have been a Real Trophy. He is still there somewhere.

Things were not going well on the moose front. Had not had a definate answer since the second day and nothing moving around. Rainy and windy. The temp was good for hunting but the wind made things difficult. We were in need of some kind of trigger I think to start the rut. That sought after perfect morning. Flat calm, Frost, Sunshine. When we woke up the last morning of hunting I thought it was "The Morning". No frost, actually quite warm around 55, but it was calm and clear. I was jumping. I could feel it, it was going to happen this morning. We were ready to go and it was still dark. Perfect. Then I looked to the west and overhead. Heavy clouds. We were just getting to the boats when they opened up. I guess we needed to have another cup of coffee anyways. It was raining hard. Once we got going at least it was still calm. We called and hunted hard. Sticking it out through the showers that remained for the rest of the day. Dick and I worked a few spots all the way down to the west end of the lake. No answers yet. The rain almost made us turn back once but were far from the camp and decided to call for a while longer. After that rain shower, the weather started to get better. By the time evening came around it was very nice out. Pretty warm but calm and clearing off. This spot off the west end is spectacular. The fire burned here about 7 years ago and is easy walking. Dick commented that it looks the moon with small trees on it. He was amazed at the distance you could see. Miles and miles of trees, rocks and water, and the best part, Nobody else. You can see three different lakes if you stand in the right spot. I have never called in a moose here but some hunters have taken moose here in the past. As we were calling and calling, the sun began to shine, life stands still in moments like that. It was amazing, Dick said that moment was worth the trip. Back to the moose hunting. When the sun started to come out I heard it. A cow called me back! Alot of times there are bulls with these cows and they both will show up. I have experience with last minute moose. A few years ago we got one at 7:07 on the seventh day of a rainy week. I know never to give up. The cow talked back to me for awhile and the excitement was building. I went and brought Dick closer to me because I thought we were going to pull it off. Then she went quiet, no Bull, no Cow. We then elected to go back in a little earlier than our usual dark night ride home. Had a few drinks, had a bonfire, and a great night. No bugs, no phone, nothing but the crackle of the fire and good company.

My opinion on this past week is that the moose were not in the rut. Like I said before we needed a trigger to get them started and did not get it. This crew could only hunt for 4 full days so time was against us too but could not get them to talk to us is all. I have had a long run of successful hunts and this was bound to happen sooner or later. There is talk of the Boys coming back again in 2 years to do it again. They have got the moose hunting bug now. We still have hunters in the bush, hopefully they will have better luck.

Plotting the next move!
Many hours were spent overlooking areas like this calling and listening intently.
Kind of cool the way these trees still haven't totally burned after two fires.
Found a new wall hanging for the cabin at Blackbirch. What does it look like to you?
we did not have much weather like this.
Daisy
We voted to come in early on the last night and have a few cocktails and a fire.
R.P. had the best cribbage luck.

Last of the Fishermen and Moose Hunting begins.

The last groups of fisherman were on the Cobham and at Loree Lake. The weather was not ideal for most of the week since we had snow and rain for a day and a half. Fishing was great before the weather came in but when it was snowing it was nicer playing poker and stoking the fire than fighting the weather. A good drink and a deck of cards make a good pair on those kind of days. Since then the weather has warmed up and should be 75 once again this week coming. We do not have any hunters out this week, the first week of hunting. I am glad as I have had a few years when it has been this hot an the moose do not move much. Should be good for next week. As one of my hunters from last year would say everyday "we have them right where we want them." Hopefully we will see some big ones coming out.

Loree Lake Kralowitz Party. Keith had a 42 inch northern 50 yards from the dock and had great numbers before the rain and snow came. Jeremy who is 9 years old got all of his homework done so he is hoping to be able to make the trip next year with his dad and his buddies. He had a blast and kept things pretty lively around the camp apparently.

The River Anderson Party. These guys are from Kansas and I figure they knew they were not in Kansas anymore when the snow came. Being Pure Walleye fishermen only neeed to know where the deep water was and they would find the fish. They had over 250 Walleyes their first day of fishing but caught them in around 23 feet of water. The largest being 23 and a half inches. They have fished the Cobham a few times but never that end of the River. As I always say, Fishermen always catch fish. They had a visitor in camp after the snow as well. A Wolf. There was only tracks but he meandered through the camp and made his way down towards the outhouse before walking off in to the bush. I love a fresh snow, you can sure see what has been going on.

We are always telling people that safety is imperative in the north as you are far away from immediate help. A couple of recent fisherman found out how true that statement is this week on the Cobham. Fortunately I was staying at Daniels and had just arrived on the lake with my trusty tool box. They used the satellite phone and Rena told them where I was and just came over in the boat. Good thing it was not too rough because it would not have felt to good with a 9 inch lure hanging from your bottom lip and chin.

One thing everyone may want to put on your list of things to bring is a pair of cutters able to cut a hook. I had to try a couple of different onces to get the right combination. It was pretty funny when it was all said and done but scary in the fact that it could have been way more serious. A nice self portrait.
The Doctor calling Rena to let her know all is Good.
The Culprit looking at the hook.
Tools of the trade.
Post Op relief, and a good laugh.
Cobham Morley done for another year.
We really went hard on the dock work our first day, I went swimming to move some rocks. Glad I did as the weather was good around 60 and sunny, but the weather was about to change significantly.....
The wind went down and the black clouds rolled in. Cooler air had fog coming off the water and the rain turned to Wet snow!! When you are up there you just react to the weather, you have no weather forecast. I was not worried, we had a warm cabin, enough beer, and the plane was safely tied to the dock. What else could you ask for.
Around 7 PM it started to snow fairly heavy...
During the night we had to move the Otter around and pull it up on shore. If you get to much snow on the wings and tail the old girl might sink. I figured I would sleep alot better if it was on some solid ground. This was the scene from Daniels the next morning. The snow continued until 7:30 the next night. Not overly cold just wet and miserable, my helper John and I worked all day in the wet snow, taking breaks to go and dry out a bit. We built a new boat ramp and fixed the dock. We had planned to go to the river to do some work the next day but the weather was to crappy to fly and we had a big chore of removing the snow from the wings.

Here is the new boat ramp at Daniels. Should be easy to use and ramps to walk between each boat will be nice. The snow was almost melted by the time we left.
When the snow stopped it was a beautiful sunset. Not quite cold enough to freeze the water to the cabin.
Next morning we were in camp closing mode once again and Daniels was off the list. West wind blowing and Temperatures were on the rise. It was pretty comfortable by noon. Weather the last few days has warmed right up once again and is going to be 75 degrees or warmer this week. I am heading back up to close Loree and do some more work at some of the other camps. Hopefully we won't get snowed on, in this country we might come back with a SUN BURN.

Until next week...